[Closed] An uncomfortable health question CIRCUMCISION CONTENT

I managed to dodge potential circumcision @30

I'd never had a single problem prior to this and came totalyl out fo the blue, I spent an incredibly uncomfortable 2-3 weeks with problems down there, resulting in the doubly uncomfortable combination of both a swollen, red, itchy dry foreskin, but also temporary phimosis due to the problem, meaning it was a bugger to keep clean and since it had lost all elasticity the surface of the skin split and cracked (!) when trying to retract to clean and apply ointment.

What made it even worse was that at the end of the second week I had to race 24hr solo at Bontrager 24/12 while suffering the above!

Since had it diagnosed as some kind of Balanitis (I forget the exact type/name) which means it could happen again, had a course of treatment and it all cleared up thankfully!

Decent hygiene seems to be keeping it in check as it's fine now and has been for over 18 months so happy days 🙂

The things you admit on STW eh!

Fascinating reading. 😆

An old one - What happened to the short-sighted surgeon performing a circumcision?
Got the sack.

Reminds me of another joke about the urologist, who collected all the foreskins he'd removed during his illustrious career, and on retirement gave them to a tailor and asked him to make him something from them to remind him of his time as a surgeon.

2 weeks later his tailor presents him with a wallet. 'A wallet! out of all the foreskins i gave you!?'

'Yes, but give it a rub and it turns into a set of suitcases'

My 3 year old, now 4, also suffered with a few reactions on his manhood. As he also suffers from eczema we put it down to this but the mrs got that worried once she took him the docs.

Doctor prescribed some antibiotics and it cleared up. Funnily enough he hasn't had any more since.

Job done, simple as that. Also as was previously said, do not force it back at such a young age. They'll play with it enough at that age it'll all happen naturally.

Why do that, whats the point?

was done for religious reasons, but that aside it will in the long term avoid the issues the OP has.
our eldest son had his done in a private clinic and the youngest will be going to the same place to have his done. its easier to have it done at an early age.

[img] [/img]

Why in the name of all thats holy mutilate your kids...

Male circumcision isn't that bad. In the US it is the is still the norm but I don't think the rate is as high now as it was in the 70s when it was 90% of new born males.

Its still utterly pointless in most cases

it will in the long term avoid the issues the OP has.

Why not have appendix out whilst he's there?

Silently different levels of risk...

Why not have appendix out whilst he's there?

Teeth are often a great source of pain

I'll throw my experience in , i went through the cut when i was 19 just at the age when you could live without having your knob bandaged up.

Apparently it was touch and go as to whether i should of had it done as an infant ,oh how i wish i'd had it done then.

For balance after experiencing it with and without its crash hat on i feel no difference infact the cleanliness aspect is now much better.

Had it done when I was 11, bit if a shock a week before Christmas

It'd be an especially bad time to find out you were Jewish, and also that you couldn't even have a Hanukkah hand shandy.

I had mine done as a kid after a few UTIs. Not sure whether id get any future kids done by default but if a Dr offered it as an option it be a no brainer to accept.

Why in the name of all thats holy mutilate your kids...

It's 2014!

It's 2014

My eyes are watering. Glad I was 'only' ten when I became a roundhead.

back to the op, our doctor told us to avoid perfumed gels and soaps when washing, and not use bubble bath on a regular basis. have had this advice for two of them, plus antibiotics to clear up the one off infections.

Not 'trimmed', and I've only ever had one infection 'down there' and that caused a fair degree of awkwardness with the G/F I caught it from.
NSU, and it took quite some explaining to help her understand that it rarely presents obvious symptoms in women and it wasn't her fault.
Very embarrassing for both of us, at the time.
Otherwise, never had any kind of infection issues, thankfully.

err, it's not usually Jesus-ites that circumcise for religious reasons!

but if you really want something to save pitchforks about, consider the religious sect that have their boys circumcised at home by religious practitioners that kiss the fresh wound and sometimes infect the children with herpes as a result: http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/09/13/nyregion/regulation-of-circumcision-method-divides-some-jews-in-new-york.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Did you hear the one about the blind circumcised, he missed and got the sack.

stopping the little fella getting frostbite

Is that what you think it's for?

[img] [/img]

I love how the ads work on this site...

Why stop at soapboxing about this, haircuts are barbaric!

Because of course, haircuts are directly comparable to unnecessary genital surgery on non-consenting infants without anaesthetic.

Maybe I wasn't clear before. The bottom line is, there is no practical reason to routinely circumcise children. None, zero, nada, despite whatever old wives' tales you've been led to believe. There is, of course, very good reason to do it in very specific circumstances (such as if you're suffering from phimosis as mentioned earlier), but aside from actually having a condition the only reason to do it to your children (other than out of ignorance or misinformation) is religious / traditional.

And frankly, if your belief system demands that you surgically modify your children's genitals, at the very least you should be waiting until they're old enough to make that decision for themselves. Barbarians.

Circumcision is a religious or cultural ritual for many Jewish and Islamic families, as well as certain aboriginal tribes in Africa and Australia. Circumcision can also be a matter of family tradition, personal hygiene or preventive health care. Sometimes there's a medical need for circumcision, such as when the foreskin is too tight to be pulled back (retracted) over the glans. In other cases, particularly in certain parts of Africa, circumcision is recommended for older boys or men to reduce the risk of certain sexually transmitted infections.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says the benefits of circumcision outweigh the risks. However, the AAP doesn't recommend routine circumcision for all male newborns. The AAP leaves the circumcision decision up to parents — and supports use of anesthetics for infants who have the procedure.

Circumcision might have various health benefits, including:

Easier hygiene. Circumcision makes it simpler to wash the penis. Washing beneath the foreskin of an uncircumcised penis is generally easy, however.
Decreased risk of urinary tract infections. The overall risk of urinary tract infections in males is low, but these infections are more common in uncircumcised males. Severe infections early in life can lead to kidney problems later on.
Decreased risk of sexually transmitted infections. Circumcised men might have a lower risk of certain sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Still, safe sexual practices remain essential.
Prevention of penile problems. Occasionally, the foreskin on an uncircumcised penis can be difficult or impossible to retract (phimosis). This can lead to inflammation of the foreskin or head of the penis.
Decreased risk of penile cancer. Although cancer of the penis is rare, it's less common in circumcised men. In addition, cervical cancer is less common in the female sexual partners of circumcised men.
Circumcision might not be an option if certain blood-clotting disorders are present. In addition, circumcision might not be appropriate for premature babies who still require medical care in the hospital nursery.

Circumcision doesn't affect fertility, nor is circumcision generally thought to enhance or detract from sexual pleasure for men or their partners.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/circumcision/basics/why-its-done/prc-20013585

Because of course, haircuts are directly comparable to unnecessary genital surgery on non-consenting infants without anaesthetic.

Well youre definately wrong on one point, I was knocked out for mine.

gonzy - what point do you think you're making?

konabunny - Member
err, it's not usually Jesus-ites that circumcise for religious reasons!

Whatever, that was the picture that came up first. Just swap out 'Jesus' for Buddha/King David/The Honey Monster/Mohammadahamed/Chakka Khan/David Icke.

For gonzy

As with all types of surgery, circumcision has some risks. However, complications from circumcisions carried out for medical reasons are rare in England.

Bleeding and infection are the most common problems associated with circumcision.

Other complications can include:

a decrease in sensation in the penis, particularly during sexdamage to the tube that carries urine inside the penis (urethra), causing it to narrow and making it hard to pass urineremoval of too much of the foreskinaccidental amputation of the head of the penis, which is very rarea blood infection or blood poisoning (septicaemia)

what point do you think you're making?

not trying to make a point...just stating that there are medical benefits to having the procedure done and from experience it is generally easier to carry out the procedure at an early age.

As with all types of surgery, circumcision has some risks. However, complications from circumcisions carried out for medical reasons are rare in England.
Bleeding and infection are the most common problems associated with circumcision.

Other complications can include:

a decrease in sensation in the penis, particularly during sexdamage to the tube that carries urine inside the penis (urethra), causing it to narrow and making it hard to pass urineremoval of too much of the foreskinaccidental amputation of the head of the penis, which is very rarea blood infection or blood poisoning (septicaemia)

thats a fair point...there are risks but then again many medical procedures have risks...my father in law had a swollen knee joint drained last summer...he nearly died of septicaemia in hospital

accidental amputation of the head of the penis,

😯

That's a pretty m'f'ing big accident in my opinion. Unless a cleaver is the surgical instrument of choice.

Circumcision [b]might[/b] have various health benefits, including

The key is in the word 'might'. I '[b]might[/b]' grow an extra set of arms so I can play multiplayer Destiny by myself but it is unlikely to happen.

I wouldn't mutilate a child on the off-chance that something may happen in the future. If it was that prevalent then half of Europe would be in trouble. For religious reasons I would let the child grow up and decide for themselves if they wanted to chop a bit of themselves off.

And I say that as someone who had it done about 6 years ago for medical reasons.

For the record, mine was for medical reasons not because a voice told a bronze age shepherd.

If I had a son, I'd not get it done unless for medical reasons. As I have daughters, I don't have to worry about a penis; instead, I have to worry about [i]all [/i]the penises.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says the benefits of circumcision outweigh the risks.

... because they get paid to do it, one would assume.

I could go through those points one by one but I can't be chuffed. Suffice to say, there's a lot of misinformation and a number of very poorly conducted "studies" kicking about.

Culturally, it's a very American tradition. Last time I looked at stats for this (a couple of years ago), it was something like 90% of American men were circumcised, versus 90% who weren't pretty much everywhere else in the world (IIRC anyway). It'd take a brave American surgeon to stand up and say "hey, you know this surgery we've performed on 40% of the population? It's utterly pointless!" So, on the topic of circumcision, I'd take anything an American Academy of Anything has to say with a pinch of salt.

Well youre definately wrong on one point, I was knocked out for mine.

I'm only wrong because you took half of my sentence out of context. I said "... [b]unnecessary[/b] genital surgery on non-consenting infants without anaesthetic." Yours was, presumably, necessary (and you were older than an infant?).

Raises a good point though. They felt it necessary to knock you out, yet some belief systems (the Jewish faith is one, not sure about others offhand) expressly forbid anaesthesia beyond a bit of antiseptic cream afterwards. The pain is part of the ritual, apparently. And people volunteer their week-old babies for this? Words fail me.

I was bored.. I opened this thread... I saw

[i]Just teach them to peel back and wash it in the bath[/i]

WTF? Not serious, I hope. Terrible advice.

They felt it necessary to knock you out, yet some belief systems (the Jewish faith is one, not sure about others offhand) expressly forbid anaesthesia beyond a bit of antiseptic cream afterwards. The pain is part of the ritual, apparently.

i was done in a hospital and was knocked out too...all i remember is being given the anaesthetic and then told to stare at the Mr Men painted on the ceiling...

i cant comment on how its done in Judaism but in Islam circumcision is also known as tahara, meaning purification.
The main reason given for the ritual is cleanliness. It is essential that every Muslim washes via ablution before praying and part of this act of cleaning includes having no urine left on the body.
In Islam there is no fixed age for circumcision. The age at which it is performed varies depending on family, region and country.
The preferred age is often seven although some Muslims are circumcised as early as the seventh day after birth and as late as puberty.
There is no equivalent of a Jewish 'mohel' in Islam. Circumcisions are usually carried out in a clinic or hospital. The circumciser is not required to be a Muslim but he must be medically trained.

i accept its not for everyone and some of you dont agree with this especially when its being carried out on young children, but when my son was done after being anaesthetised the surgery itself lasted only 20 minutes. the bell fell off after 5 days and the wound had healed by the following week...the only time he cried was when he was being injected with the anaesthetic.

some belief systems (the Jewish faith is one, not sure about others offhand) expressly forbid anaesthesia beyond a bit of antiseptic cream afterwards

"Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint his bleeding glans with Sudocrem and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest".

The main reason given for the ritual is cleanliness. It is essential that every Muslim washes via ablution before praying and part of this act of cleaning includes having no urine left on the body.

Whilst I can see the reasoning behind this in ancient times, we have extensive washing facilities these days.

The main reason [i]originally [/i]given for the ritual is cleanliness; the actual main reason these days is tradition. You do it because you always have.

we have extensive washing facilities these days.

i know...i use one of these to keep it clean... 😛
[img] ?140915[/img]

but seriously though...cleanliness and hygiene is the main reason and the reason is simple to understand when put in the right context.
i've not had a foreskin for nearly 30 years but i am assuming that when peeing from a non-circumcised "ahem", there is a chance that some urine may not pass and can collect under the foreskin.
if i were not circumcised and were to carry out my daily prayers i have to cleanse myself before each prayer but technically my body would not be clean due to the trapped traces of urine...but being circumcised reduces the chances of trace amounts of urine being trapped.
if my body is not clean, i cannot perform my prayers

Whilst I can see the reasoning behind this in ancient times, we have extensive washing facilities these days.

The main reason originally given for the ritual is cleanliness; the actual main reason these days is tradition. You do it because you always have.

You say that, but how many people on this thread have 1st/2nd hand experience of it being infected. Quite a lot. I'll quote this one as an example:

I'd never had a single problem prior to this and came totalyl out fo the blue, I spent an incredibly uncomfortable 2-3 weeks with problems down there, resulting in the doubly uncomfortable combination of both a swollen, red, itchy dry foreskin, but also temporary phimosis due to the problem, meaning it was a bugger to keep clean and since it had lost all elasticity the surface of the skin split and cracked (!) when trying to retract to clean and apply ointment.

It's the same argument as vaccination, do you put the child at a slight risk now for the sake of avoiding problems in the future.

Quite a lot.

While I can understand that people can get infected anywhere this is the first time I have heard of a lot of people having this. I call 'bull'.

It's the same argument as vaccination, do you put the child at a slight risk now for the sake of avoiding [b]a very slight risk of[/b] problems in the future.

FTFY.

Anaesthesia is always risky. Unless you're one of those creepy priests who suck the end of the willy after chopping off the foreskin which may cause infection and/or [url= http://freethinker.co.uk/2012/03/08/barbaric-post-circumcision-penis-sucking-practice-leads-to-another-death/ ]death?[/url] Eww.